Crorepati defaulter Mallya's Indian Empress held back after non-payment of petty-dues

After duping banks of crores of rupees, it seems the once-upon a time liquor baron is back to his old ways of cheating people.

A luxury super-yacht belonging to Vijay Mallya has been impounded after non-payment of dues worth $1 million to workers. Named the 'Indian Empress', the ship is currently stationed in the Isle of Mann. The Isle of Mann is located in the middle of the Northern Irish Sea, and is closer to England.

Nautilus International, a London based maritime trade union is fighting for the rights of the workers. The Union said the superyacht was valued at $93 million.

But, in spite of the yacht being valued at over Rs 600 crores, the Mallyas have held back payments to the labourers.

The union said over 40 crew worked on the yacht, and pay-outs ranging from $6250 to $92000 have been held back. Mallya's yacht has failed to pay wages for the past four months. Mallya had abandoned the superyacht in September 2017.

The union has also revealed that this would be the first time an act of International Maritime Labour Convention have been invoked to impound a yacht.

The Maritime board will force Mallya into making a maritime lien for further payments.

Nautilus' Director of legal services, Charles Boyle, was quoted in news reports, saying, "the super-yacht sector is seen as one of glamour and glitz, but the sad reality is that crew members can experience exploitation and abuse and that is why Nautilus has become increasingly involved in such justice cases."

A file picture of the Indian Empress

Mallya, who was referred to as 'The King of Good Times' and also as the 'Richard Branson of India' is apparently in bad times. An extradition case is being heard out in courts in London. The man who made appearances with skimpy-bikini clad women on calendars, is forced to make apperances in courts. He continues to claim that he is a free-man, but is virtually locked up in London.

A court in Westminister will assemble for a hearing on March 16. Branded a wilful defaulter, Mallya owes a consortium of banks- led by State Bank of India, a whopping Rs 9000 crore loan.

Trivia:

Length: 32 metres, 312 feet

Guests: 32 in 16 cabins

Crew: 42 in 20 cabins

Deal Details: The yacht was purchased in 2006, although it was built as Al Mirqab for the Prime Minister of Qatar in the year 2000.

Speed: 26 knots powered by three MTU diesels of 10,000 hp each.

Charter Rate: According to sources, the yacht was available for charter at a rate of 750,000 per week during 2010.

Size: In 2011, this was the 15th largest Yacht in the world.

The Other one: Besides Indian empress, Mallya also owns the Kalisma, which was purchased by Hollywood actor Richard Burton as a gift for his wife- Elizabeth Taylor in 1967. Mallya bought Kalizma in 1995 and restored her.

Besides Yachts, Mallya owned a fleet of cars, private jets, and luxurious villas, around the world.